The Joy Of Self-Recycling.

There is this concept of a draft-drawer on my podcast, The Writers’ Block. But the concept in its entirety is not my own. I heard the marvelous Anne Rice mention that she doesn’t throw any work away–she puts it in a drawer.

Genius!

Anne Rice says that she does this because she wants to be able to go back and revisit a work, and have something to draw from. I agree. As a writer, you need to have, to develop enough faith in your work that you value even the things you do not complete!

Enter–the Draft-Drawer.

The things you have stored away, hidden away or you find yourself second guessing? Don’t toss them away: save them. Why you may ask? Not everything that is incomplete is impossible. Not every project, every poem, every novel is created, finished in a linear fashion! Some things we start need to sit with us a while longer. The POV redone, more research added. But nothing should be tossed away because the process to create it is hard.

What is in your draft-drawer? What things have you kept? What things do you need to revisit? Why have you not revisited them?

The draft-drawer is a form of self-recycling. Your imagination is both the source and end of all things in this capacity. You control the pace and flow of the work! With you saving the work, this work undone or unpolished, you grant yourself the freedom to start again; creation is at your demand. Do not sell yourself so short as to throw something away.

The Three R’s found in Ecology are apt with writers as well, albeit with a twist:

Rethink. Reuse. Recycle.

Encouragement Pages-01/13/2020

Today, I remind you of something basic.

Every language has an alphabet, has dialects, accents and regional sayings. What I want you to remember is you are a writer. You have more than just letters to command, you have histories to bend to your will.

You have the power to replay, augment, even mystify what is familiar. You have the power to retell histories as both the victim and valiant. Don’t fear that.

The letters, the language are merely a code.

You, dear writer, need to—must!—decode it.

With Love & Ink,

JBHarris

Encouragement Pages-01/10/2020

The WIP.

Work in Progress.

The thing about about a WIP, any WIP, is that it will take time. You have to understand that writing is done in *3 parts:

1.) Inspiration

2.) Researching/Development

3.) Producing

The writing is both art and process. Do not shy away from the process. The process is where all the good stuff is; get to the good stuff.

With Love & Ink,

JBHarris

*Look for this as a miniseries. Soon.

The 10-Minute Take-The 5-Mile Sprint

With all that I am up to, I am excited to get back to recording YouTube videos! I spoke bout the Ten-Minute Take this past summer. This first Ten-Minute Take will relate to the concept of the 5-mile sprint Shonda Rhimes spoke about in her book The Year Of Yes.

When I heard it, I had to break it down, expounding more and putting my stamp of approval of this concept as a fellow writer. Look for this later this morning.

It will consist of the following ideas:

5-Mile Sprint 

FIRST TEN MINUTE TAKE! (Desk of JBHarris)

• concept taken from THE YEAR OF YES (S. Rhimes)
• Put on podcast as well (Bonus episode)

Give proper credit and citations on YouTube Channel. 

Crucial takeaways:

-Why this is important?
-Why the access time this space is important?
-How does a writer access this quicker?
-How to clear the space

Come be part of the tribe, subscribe to The Desk of JBHarris!

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Use What You Have On Hand

The free writes, the stray and floating ideas–what do you have on hand?

On Season 1 of The Writers’ Block Podcast, I talked about the this concept. I talked about how we, as writers, don’t truly know the wealth that we have! In understanding that wealth you have, you created, you may have to create something that I call, the draft-drawer.

The draft-drawer is a place where you put all the work you haven’t gotten to yet, aren’t sure where to go next, or things you got stuck on. This could even be snippets of plots, titles, or even snippets of conversation you jot! Your draft-drawer is a both a well and wealth of information!

With the new year, new decade at slow hum, don’t think that you need to recreate the wheel! That can be stressful for a writer, trust me. But you need to know is the new, potent, powerful work may just be hidden in a file. It may be incomplete. It may be in the transition from the thoughts in your head to the words and worlds on the page.

The work is there. The work has always been there. It’s your job to either find it, complete it, or find more of it.

Be brave. The world is waiting.